US markets firmer - Dow up +72-points or +0.31% and the broader S&P500 +0.13%, NASDAQ +0.12%.
Automotive stocks led European bourses higher, with Volkswagen rallying +4.13% following reports over the weekend that the manufacturer would invest 22.8B euros in its main car brand over the course of 2018 to 2022 (Porsche, which is owned by Volkswagen, popped 4.48%) - Germany's DAX gained +0.50%, shrugging off the collapse of talks to form an untried coalition government Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives, the pro-business Free Democrats and the environmentalist Greens. Merkel commented that she did not favour a minority government because it would not deliver the stability necessary to govern effectively, raising the spectre of fresh elections in 2018. France's CAC added +0.40%. The latest political uncertainty in Germany saw the euro endure a volatile session, currently down ~0.5% against the US dollar.
